Previously... (WC4 Guide)
Previously... is a section in the Wing Commander 4 Guide which fills in the backstory from the previous games. This is one of the sources that ties Christopher Blair in WC1 events in a more 'direct' way (though other sources may or may not contradict it (in particular history added by the Movies and related novels), see canon for more details). This summary is also of note is that it also covers the events of many of the novels as well that were part of the canon at the time of its release. This and a "Biography" in Wing Commander Prophecy Guide are as close to a "Christopher Blair' biography (but not memoirs) that have been published, although these sources do not focus on Blair at all times (nor are they 100% comprehensive). Previously... Wing Commander I Christopher Blair, at the beginning of Wing Commander I, graduates top of his class from the academy while the Terran-Kilrathi war is in full swing. In recognition of his obvious piloting talent and scholastic achievement, he is assigned to the T.C.S. Tiger's Claw, the largest ship in the Confederation fleet. It is not long before the Tiger's Claw is ordered to Enyo System. Rumor has it that the Kilrathi have an unusually large presence there. Blair quickly becomes acquainted with the other pilots on board the carrier. Spirit is a defensive young Japanese woman -- and the pilot is assigned to his wing on his first mission. Paladin is a knowledgeable veteran, calm and capable in the roughest situations. Angel, the French national, he discovers to be strict by-the-book pilot who can be depended on to carry out any order of her wing leader. Bossman, Knight, Hunter and Iceman give him advice on things the Academy couldn't program into his flight simulators. Todd "Maniac" Marshall, the hot-headed fast-talking kid, has been assigned to the Tiger's Claw. Blair and Maniac graduated first and second in their class at the Academy. Blair had hoped for separate assignments. Blair picks up real-life experience on the escort and routine duties, and soon the Claw is sent to Macauliffe -- clearing the way for an offensive strike against the Kiralthi. After six months, the Tiger's Claw is sent on a seek-and-destroy mission in the Vega Sector. Hidden somewhere is the Kilrathi High Command, and when they make a close pass to the planet Venice, they discover the cats' lair. One fierce battle later, the Kilrathi have come out decidedly second-best. Some begin to hope the war has turned around. The Secret Missions There is no time for celebration, though. The Tiger's Claw receives word that there has been no recent communications from Goddard colony. The authorities are concerned, and the Claw heads out ot investigate. They have no hope of arriving in time; the Kilrathi have already come and gone, leaving nothing but desolation, ruins and death. The friendly bartender, Shotglass, takes it hardest. His cousin had lived on Goddard. It is hard enough to accept the deaths of friends who fly against the cats, but the wanton massacre of civilians is double harsh. The Claw receives their new assignment -- track down the Kilrathi strike force, obliterate them and destroy the secret weapon that laid waste to Goddard. The mission is cod-named "Operation Thor's Hammer." This is no simple target-and-shoot mission, and the crew becomes restless and agitated. As the Tiger's Claw moves farther and farther into the enemy territory, they begin to suspect that they have been sent on a suicide mission. Everyone is aware that there is no force they can call for help. They are on their own, and the odds are against them. Maniac, always high-strung, beings to show signs of serious battle fatigue. It is not long before he is too unstable to fly. At last the carrier detects the Sivar, the dreadnought responsible for the carnage at Goddard. A battle ensues which dwarfs anything the Claw has ever seen. Kilrathi fighters swarm around the Confederation ship, hammering away at her defenses. The humahn pilots respond in kind, and eventually punch through the Kilrathi defenses. It is a hard-won battle, but ultimately both the Sivar and the deadly weapon she carried are destroyed. The Tiger's Claw returns to Confederatoin space. Things aren't so simple for the surviving Kilrathi. The admiral of the Sivar is held personally responsible for the loss of the experimental dreadnought. In the presence of his father the Emperor, the admiral is executed, leaving Princes Thrakhath as heir to the throne. The Secret Missions 2 A new race, the Firekkans, are being inducted into the Confederation. During the final stages of the process, the Tiger's Claw is assigned as color guard to the Terran diplomats at Firekka. Its pilots all begin to enjoy the peaceful boredom of routine, uneventful patrols. However, time and again, pilots are encountering Kilrathni ships where there should be none. Firekka is located in a remote part of the galactic arm, far from war. It soon becomes apparent that, whatever the reason, the Kilrathi are massing an enormous force just outside of the Firekkan space, led by Thrakhath and his Drakhai (Imperial Guard). It is only after a Kilrathi captain, Ralgha nar Hhallas, defects to the Confederation side, that the reason behind the unexpected attack force is revealed. It is time for the Kilrathi to rededicate themselves to Sivar, their god of war. Firekka has been chosen as the site of this rituation. Without successful completion of the rituation, Captain Ralgha explains, the Kilrathi believe that Sivar will abandon them. They woul dbe doomed to die dishonorable deaths, an unthinkable horror to a race who strive only for glory in war. The decision is made to demoralize the Kilrathi by disrupting their religious ceremony. Terran marines jump into the system. Their targets are the Kilrathi priestesses, who have already landed on Firekka. As the battle rages, the death toll rises to staggering levels. Eventually, against overwhelming odds, the marines accomplish their goals and withdraw. The wrath of the Kilrathi focuses on the Tiger's Claw, and the Confederation ship begins a desperate fighting retreat to human-controlled space. With the bulk of the Kilrathi fighters distracted, the Firekkans begin a planet-side attack against the Kirathni. The felinoids are forced to withdraw back to their own space. Victory, although always welcome, is far from sweet for the crew of the Tiger's Claw. Bossman, whom Blair has known from nearly his first day on the Claw, is dead. He was killed flying a mission as Angel's wingman. Spirit's fiancé has been captured by the enemy on a remote space station. Maniac is again removed from the flight roster due to his increasing mental instability. Angel is transferred from the Tiger's Claw to the T.C.S. Austin, soon followed by Spirit. It seems that perhaps the only good thing that happens is Blair's promotion to the command of the Tiger's Claw fighter squadron. Wing Commander II The "vacation" at Firekka is over; the Tiger's Claw is needed to assist in dislodging the Kilrathi from Enigma sector. A strike planned against K'tithrak Mang, the Kilrathi headquarters, is inexplicably fumbled. Within moments, it seems, the Tiger's Claw is utterly destroyed. Blair is the only survivor -- not a traditionally sympathetic role. When he arrives home, it is only to face courtmartial for negligence and cowardice under fire. His claims that "stealth fighters" had attacked the Tiger's Claw are not believed, and in fact are regarded as a pathetic attempt to whine his way back to his former position. Blair is stripped of rank and assigned to an underfunded research station on the back edge of nowhere. Just when it seems that Blair's career has been flushed out an airlock, the T.C.S. Concordia -- the largest ship in the Enigma sector -- jumps into the sector, pursued by Kilrathi fighters. The Concordia is in trouble; its deck is too damaged to launch fighters, leaving Blair and his wingman Shadow as their only hope for survival. A one-sided battle ensues, but Blair and his wingman manage to win the upper hand. When he is able to land aboard the Concordia, he is welcomed by several old friends. Chief among them is Angel, now assigned as squadron leader. Shadow and Blair leave to return to Caernarvon station, but are soon called back by the Concordia. A bomb has explosed in the launch deck, crippling their defenses, and another wave of Kilrathi has jumped into the system. Blair and his wingman make it back in time to defend the carrier, but Shadow is killed in the fight. Blair lands aboard the Concordia moments before the ship jumps out of the system. Admiral Tolwyn is hardly pleased to see Blair, but cannot dispute the wisdom of temporarily assigning him to active dutyl. It is a tense time aboard the Concordia. If things do not go well -- if the Concordia fails to hold the sector -- the Kilrathi will have access to jump nodes that would give them a backdoor to Earth. What makes the situation even more desparate is that there is obviously a traitor aboard the ship. The bomb in the launch bay was only one example. A technician has been killed in the communications area, and it's known that an outgoing message was sent to the Kilrathi. Blair is assigned to routine, low-level duties until Colonel "Hobbes" Ralgha demands that he be returned to active duty, and that Blair fly as his wingman. For the first time in too long, Blair is back in the war. Hobbes informs Blair that despite his current reputation in the Confederation, the Kilrathi regard him as a great warrior. Blair and Hobbes prove to be an effective team, and together they successfully defend the Kilrathi rebels' Olympus Station from an onslaught of Imperial fighters. Tensions continue to rise aboard the Concordia, and the finger-pointing commences. Spirit is accused of being the spy. She denies it, though she confsesses to Blair that the Kilrathi attempted to blackmail her into aiding them. When they tried to barter her fiancé's life for her cooperation, she refused. Now he will certainly die a horrible death, just as the Concordia is assigned to attack the very station where he is being held. During the attack, Spirit's fighter is damaged, and she makes the decision to sacrifice herself in a kamikaze dive on the station. After the battle, Blair and Angel commiserate over the death of their friend, and begin to forge a relationship that will grow deep. Once again, the mission to K'tithrak Mang is attempted, but this time the Confederation succeeds. Victory is particularly satifisying to Blair, as he faces down and defeats Prince Thrakhath head-to-head. Thrakath survives the encounter, and Blair's warrior reputation becomes even more infamous in the Kilrathi empire. He also discovers and defeats the Concordia's traitor, re-establishing his reputation and rank. Freedom Flight (Novel) While the Tiger's Claw focuses on Firekka, Hunter, along with the Firekkan war leader K'Kai and Hobbes' oathsworn adjunct Kirha, launch a desparate thrust to free Firekkan hostages held near Ghorah Khar. End Run (novel) When the corvette Johnny Greene discovers a covert Kilrathi shipyard on the far side of the empire of Vakar Tag, Bear Bondarevasky must lead the end run to evade detection and eliminate this threat to Terran survival. Special Operations 1 The war rolls onward. Within two weeks of uncovering the traitor on Concordia, Tolwyn notifies Blair that he's being reassigned to a Special Ops team. As a matter of fact, the particular operation to which he's assigned is headed by his long-time friend, Paladin. Before Blair begins his new assignment, however, Pembroke Station is attacked by Kilrathi. Blair finally gets the cats clear of Pembroke, only to be told that he must investigate Rigel; for unknown reasons, no one has recently received communication from the supply depot there. Within moments of jumping into Rigel space, Blair is attacked by Confederation mutineers. The mutiny, it seems, was sparked by the commander of the T.C.S. Gettysburg ordering his crew to fire upon an unarmed Kilrathi civilian transport. The mutiny was successful, and the supply depot was subsequently commandeered to be used as their headquarters. The mutineers are divided into two factions: the pirates who wish to continue their new careers of terrorism, and those who would rather return to the Confederation, if at all possible. Lieutenant "Bear" Bondarevski heads the faction that would like to return. Blair convinces him to agree to a meeting, and then to return wit hhim to Concordia. Blair returns with him to the mutineers and -- after a brief visit to their brig -- persuadeds them they will all receive pardons. With the aid of Lt. Colonel Poelma, he leads a strike against the 'pirate' faction on the Rigel supply depot. After a rousing success, Blair returns to the Concordia. At last Blair can embark on his Special Ops mission. He and Paladin head for the Ghora Khar system, where Kilrathi troops are trying ot make an example of the Kilrathi rebel planet. At the height of battle at Olympus Station, Blair receives a message from Paladin -- he's uncovered news of an assassination attempt against Prince Thrakhath. Blair responds, and is fact able capture Prince Thrakhath. He takes him to the Bonnie Heather, but the prince escapes soon thereafter. Nevertheless, Blair, Paladin, Bear and some of the Gettysburg pilots manage to defeat the Kilrathi attack on the Olympus Station. The planet of Ghorah Khar is saved. Special Operations 2 Not much time passes before Jazz Colson is court-martialed for high treason, found guilty by Admiral Tolwyn and sentenced to death. Blair is given the assignment of escorting Jazz's transshipment to a prison transport, which will shuttle him to a prison planet, where he will be executed. As always, there are unexpected problems. There is a mutiny aboard the ship Jazz is on, and Mandarin hijackers jump it out-system. That's only the beginning, though. On return to the Concordia, Blair discovers that his leas favorite wingman, Maniac, has not only been promoted to major, but has been assigned to same ship as Blair. Apparently, Maniac is in charge of a squadron of test pilots. They will be testing the new Morningstar fighters, and will be using the Concordia as a base of operations. Blair gets called in to test fighters retrieve one of their pilots who got lost in an asteroid field during maneuvers. The rescued pilot is the attractive Minx. Tolwyn confides to Blair that there maybe a Mandarin traitor. During his investigations, Blair several more times with the Morningstar pilots. Just before she's fingered as the traitor, Minx steals a prototype ship and makes a bee-line for the Mandarin base at Ayer's Rock. Blair is not surprised to discover that Jazz has also holed up at Ayer's Rock, and faces him in a one-on-one showdown before returning home. Fleet Action (Novel) After nearly 30 years of bloody toe-to-toe combat, the Kilrathi offer an armistice. What happens after is the focus of Fleet Action, detailing the Kilrathi strike against Earth itself. Wing Commander III Heart of the Tiger (Novel) Think you know everything about the Confederation's final strike against Kilrah? Heart of the Tiger fills in the details, both on board the Victory and at the other pulse centers of the war's final days. Category:Published documents Category:Canon